IRVINE, Calif. – Playing in its final Big West match before the conference tournament, the No. 12 UC San Diego women's water polo team (18-10, 3-3 BWC) fell 12-8 to fifth-ranked UC Irvine (19-6, 5-1 BWC) Friday on the road.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Tritons trailed the Anteaters from start to finish in this one, ceding three consecutive goals to begin the match, including two to Tara Prentice, before netting three straight goals of their own, with Lucia Doak, Taylor Onstott, and Kendall Thomas doing the damage. UC Irvine netted one more goal with 1:07 remaining in the first period and from that point on did not allow UC San Diego to tie the match.
 
In the second period, the Anteaters took a 6-3 lead before Onstott notched the only powerplay goal of the match for the Tritons. Trailing 7-5 at the end of the first half, UC Irvine extended its lead by shutting out UC San Diego 2-0 in the third period. Both teams scored three goals in the final period, with Holly Maine scoring the final two of the match to cut the deficit to 12-8.
 
QUOTABLE
"I felt that we hung with them pretty well physically and in transition," said UC San Diego women's water polo head coach Brad Kreutzkamp. "Quite frankly it comes down to our power play going [1-7] as well as missing a penalty shot; that was the difference in this game."
 
TRITON TIDBITS

• EXTRA STRENGTH STRUGGLES – In the loss, the Tritons went 1-7 with an extra attacker, compared to a 2-6 mark for the Anteaters. On the season, the team has converted 31.4% of the time on the power play.
• HEATING UP – Taylor Onstott delivered her second hat-trick of the season, with three goals to go along with two assists. It was her sixth game this season with three or more points scored, and her fifth against a Big West Conference opponent.
• RECORD WATCH – Bennett Bugelli recorded seven more saves against UC Irvine, bringing her career total up to 794 career saves. In the win over UCSB at the Kalbus Invitational, Bugelli moved up to third all-time, passing Maryam Hadiashar, 697 saves, and Leona Mason, 701 saves. This season, she has already leapt up from ninth place after making 25 saves at the UCSB Winter Invite. Next on the list is Jefi Paulsen with 852 saves.
   

Goalie Saves	Player Name	Years Played
1,465 saves	Courtney Miller	2013-2016
852 saves	Jefi Paulsen	1987-1990
794 saves	Bennett Bugelli	2017-
701 saves	Leona Mason	1993-1996
697 saves	Maryam Hadiashar	1997-2000

 
UP NEXT
20^th Annual Harper Cup
UC San Diego (18-9) at San Diego State (12-14)
Saturday, April 16, 4:00 pm PST
Aztec Aquaplex – San Diego, Calif.
Live Stats
 
About UC San Diego Athletics
After two decades as one of the most successful programs in NCAA Division II, the UC San Diego intercollegiate athletics program has begun a new era as a member of the Big West Conference in NCAA Division I. The 23-sport Tritons earned 30 team and nearly 150 individual national championships during its time in Divisions II and III and helped guide 1,400 scholar-athletes to All-America honors. A total of 83 Tritons have earned Academic All-America honors, while 37 have garnered prestigious NCAA Post Graduate Scholarships. UC San Diego scholar-athletes exemplify the academic ideals of one of the world's preeminent institutions, graduating at an average rate of 91 percent, one of the highest rates among institutions at all divisions. For more information on the Tritons, visit UCSDtritons.com or follow UC San Diego Athletics on social media @UCSDtritons.